Kill The President's Women (Joe The Magic Man Series Book 2)

by Allan J. Lewis

  He answered on the second ring. “Yeah,” he groaned into the phone.

  “I think Joe might have come up with something, it’s what Mr. Bees might have heard the driver saying on the phone.”

  “Tell me what Joe said.” He sat up in bed hoping that Joe had seen the number plate.

  “Joe said it was just as Mr. Bees told you: he couldn’t see the car properly and the grass was hiding the number plate. But... Joe kinda saw the driver although he held his hand in front of his face. Of course, it was Mr. Bees who saw him but it was too brief for him to register…

  “I get it, Alice. Go on.”

  “Joe managed to see the man; he was in his mid-30s with jet black hair and a thick moustache. He also heard something the man said on the phone.” Alice checked her notes. “He answered the phone saying he had been there waiting for an hour, and then he said, ‘I got three Kentucky Fries but they’ll be cold by now’. That’s all Joe heard because Mr. Bees was calling his dog and hurrying off.”

  Campbell was out of bed by this point, taking it all in. “Is that it?”

  “Joe thought you could find out where the driver bought those fries. And he also did well with the cold case. He says…”

  The phone went dead without as much as a thank you. Alice sighed. She didn’t know if she should wake Burrows or leave it until morning, then she thought playfully, I’m up so why should she sleep?

  “What’s up?” Burrows also answered the phone on the second ring like it was office protocol.

  “Joe has had a very busy night and he had to wake me up to tell Campbell what he found out and I think Campbell’s on the phone to head office right about now so I thought I’d just let you know what’s going on.”

  “What’s so important that Campbell would phone in at this time of night?” Burrows was up on one elbow, as Alice filled her in.

  “Hmm,” she grunted when Alice was done about Mr. Bees, “I don’t think he’ll need us until morning, he’ll get a list of the outlets and I expect we’ll be checking them out first thing this morning.”

  “It’s already morning,” Alice said, unable to resist the joke.

  “You know what I mean, Alice.”

  “Yeah sure, and the other good news is: Joe thinks he knows who killed the Johnsons.”

  Burrows sat up. “Did Joe find out who he hired?”

  “Andrew had nothing to do with the murders.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  Alice could picture Burrow’s shocked face. “You’d never guess who Joe thinks did it.”

  “Just tell me.”

  “Joe interviewed Ann Johnson and she thinks her father did it so she and Andrew could get married and help finance her mother’s health care bills.” There was no reply from Burrows and seconds later, Alice had to ask, “Hello, you haven’t passed out, have you?”

  “Joe got that from Mrs. Johnson?”

  “You can’t hide secrets from the Magic Man,” Alice said proudly.

  Again, that tingling sensation crept up Burrows in the face of the enormity of the Magic Man’s powers.

  “You’re saying Mrs. Johnson’s mother is ill and her father carried out the killings so his daughter could marry into money to help out?”

  “Joe says we should go interview the dad and he’ll get into his dreams to find out for sure.”

  Burrows shook her head. “Well I didn’t see that one coming.”

  “What do you think we should do?” Alice thought it was a good plan to go see Ann Johnson’s dad so Joe could get into his dreams and get a confession out of him.

  Burrows looked at the clock; it was 3:31am. “Go back to sleep and we’ll talk it over in the morning.”

  The phone rang shrilly, interrupting Alice Timberlake’s loving embrace with sleep. She shot a look at the clock. 6:30am.

  “Yeah?” she answered.

  “Are you up?” Burrows asked.

  “I am now, why?” Alice made to get out of bed.

  “We’ve got a lead and we’re moving in ten; we’ll have something to eat on the way so move it, girl.”

  “Ten minutes? You gotta be joking,” Alice said then realized she was speaking to a dead phone; Burrows had hung up on her.

  Pee first! she said to herself as she raced off to the bathroom. Even Carl Lewis couldn’t get ready in ten.

  Dead on the ten-minute mark, Burrows was knocking on her door. Alice grabbed her coat and opened the door. There was no one there. She stepped out to see Burrows getting in the car.

  “Leave the key on the counter and get in!” Agent Campbell shouted out of the open window of the car.”

  Alice was all flustered after she dropped the key and got in the car. “So what’s the rush? Have we got a plane to catch?”

  “Those Kentucky Fries paid off,” Campbell declared. “We were able to trace the place where the driver bought them.” He nodded to her in his mirror. “Tell Joe he did well again.”

  “Oh, that’s good. I’ll tell him.” Alice was pleased that Campbell was pleased. “And that’s where we’re heading now?”

  Burrows half turned to talk to Alice over her shoulder. “First, Agent Campbell called it in last night, and our boys started checking the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in this area and believe it or not, the one nearest to us is a drive in which is open 24/7. It’s only a 30-minute drive from here so our boys got there, had a look at the CCTV and bingo, our driver ordered four to go.”

  “About time we had a bit of luck,” Campbell chimed in.

  “Yeah,” agreed Burrows. “And not only did we get the number of the car but we were able to trace it to the owner. It’s parked outside his house as we speak.”

  It was a lot to take in, and the excitement of the two agents was rubbing off on Alice. She thought, Four Kentucky Chicken Fries, one for him and one each of his three passengers.

  “So are we going to the KFC or to his home?”

  “At the moment we’re waiting for orders,” Campbell said. “We’ve got the driver and his house under surveillance and we’re doing a background check on him and his family. His name is Alfred Hassan.” He swung a corner and said, “Keep an eye out for a diner; we’ll have something to eat while we wait.”

  There was silence for a moment and Alice took the opportunity to ask. “What about the cold case, are you leaving that on hold?”

  Campbell glanced at her in the mirror. “This is top priority Alice, so forget everything else.”

  Burrows spoke over her shoulder again. “I’ll phone my boss later, the detective in charge of the case will take it from here. I was only the profiler on that case.”

  They found a diner and were halfway through breakfast when Campbell’s phone rang. “I’ll take it outside.”

  Alice started to eat faster for she had a feeling that when Campbell came back in, his words would be a variation of “Let’s go”, if not the very words themselves.

  “He’s happy with Joe,” Burrows said in between mouthfuls, “because HQ told him this is the best lead they’ve got. And I think we’re the ones to follow up on this Mr. Alfred Hassan.”

  Campbell came back in, all smiles; he chucked money on the table and said. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Just like I thought, Alice said to herself.

  They were in the car in no time, and as soon as they had got the car moving, Campbell told them. “They’re going to keep watch on Hassan until we get there.” he was smiling to himself. “That was Frank Brubaker on the phone. It seems whoever was in charge up there called him in early, with the news of this new guy Alfred Hassan, and he wants us to interview him, and for…” he was going to call her Mrs. Timberlake but stopped himself, “and for Alice to get Joe to find out what he can about this guy.”

  “That makes sense,” Burrows said with a smile. “If you got a secret weapon, why not use it? Joe could find out the truth in minutes, where this guy could tell us a pack of lies and half-truths and it
would take us days to sort it out.”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much what Frank said.” Campbell nodded.

  “Why do you think Frank Brubaker put us together as a task-force if not to work Joe’s magic.” Burrows felt it was more or less her idea to bring Joe and Alice in to help out on cases just like this, and she couldn’t have felt prouder. “After this, they’ll want us on all the tricky cases, you wait and see.”

  Alice felt proud as well, for Joe. “Let’s hope Joe can work his magic again, and we can catch these two bombers before they can do whatever they plan to do.”

  There was a happy silence in the car which Alice broke by saying, “You two will have a promotion after this, and I will have another good story to sell to the papers.”

  They both laughed with happy grunts of “Maybe” and “Yeah, sure.”

  Alice felt guilty at calling herself a freelance journalist because most of the journalists she knew had gone to college and worked their way up in the trade, while she had just started at the local paper desperately asking for a chance to be a reporter and they had finally taken her on part-time to help out. Lots of times she had doubted if she’d ever make it big in the business. That was until Joe came along and turned her world around

  As Alice relaxed, she thought about the outcome when they got to Hassan’s home. She asked, “Where does Alfred Hassan live, in Pennsylvania?”

  “No, St Louis, Missouri.” Campbell shrugged his shoulders. “That’s where the car is.”

  “But I thought they started out from Pennsylvania?”

  “They stole the car from Pennsylvania on their way to Cisco but that doesn’t mean that’s where they’re from.” Campbell was happily tapping the steering wheel. “But we’ll find them, they can run but they can’t hide from Joe the Magic Man.”

  He looked across to Burrows, and they both burst out laughing. Burrows whispered playfully, “We’ve got a secret weapon.”

  Alice wasn’t sure if they were laughing at her for thinking they were going to Pennsylvania, or simply because they were relieved they had a lead to follow but she laughed with them anyway and relished the moment; it was rare to hear Campbell dish out heartfelt compliments, especially to her and Joe.

  It took them a lot longer than Alice thought it would to get to St. Louis but it gave her the time she needed when Joe popped into her mind to tell him what had happened so far. Joe said he liked how things were turning out and promised to be there when they met Alfred Hassan.

  Campbell’s phone rang in the calm silence some minutes late and Campbell picked up the phone. He listened for a while, said “Thank you, Detective”, and turned to Burrows.

  “There’s no criminal record on our Alfred Hassan, he’s clean. His father is well known and liked in town, he owns two restaurants and a repair garage with a car sales and hire service. His son Alfred, is 34 and runs the sales and hire service of the garage. Alfred is already there – he just opened up the salesroom.”

  “Are they a Muslim family?” Burrows asked.

  “Yes, but Homeland haven’t got anything on them, they seemed to be true Americans. They doubt if they’re members of a terrorist cell.”

  Alice took that to mean that they weren’t on the possible terrorist list that Homeland had throughout the USA. They were a Muslim family and like many others in the country, they just wanted to be left alone.

  “So how does Brubaker want us to work it?” Burrows was getting edgy, a side effect of them being in the lead team.

  Campbell looked at his watch. “We should be there in an hour or so and Mr. Hassan should still be at work. I say we drop in and see what he’s got to say.” He looked in his rear mirror. “And Alice, you can work your thing with that badge; we want Joe to find out everything he can about this guy, and how he’s involved in all of this.”

  “Sure, I’ll try and shake hands with him.”

  Campbell looked in the rearview mirror. His puzzled expression asked, “No more psychic?”

  Alice said, “I’ll touch his hand with the badge as we shake hands; it’s a lot easier than trying to be a psychic.”

  Joe had been in Alice’s mind for about ten minutes waiting for them to arrive for the interview, and they spoke about how excited Campbell was.

  “He called you ‘Alice’. Wow, he must be in a good mood.”

  “Sure is.”

  Campbell called in and asked for backup in the area to be ready if he needed it, they were afraid Alfred would pull a runner.

  The Hassan Garage and salesroom were on the outskirts of town, taking up a large area of land. The garage was on the right with the showroom next to it; there was a forecourt in front of the showroom with ten of their best bargains on display. To the side and behind were about 80 or more cars for sale with high wire fencing around them.

  “It looks like they’re doing alright for themselves,” Campbell said as they got out of the car. “Let’s go and see what he’s got to say.”

  Alice didn’t know if she was nervous or excited, but she could feel the anxiety in Burrows too.

  The three of them walked into the showroom as casual as customers. A young woman behind a desk put down the phone she was holding and greeted them with a smile. She was just about to ask if she could help them when Campbell stopped her dead by showing her his badge.

  “FBI. Is Mr. Alfred Hassan in, please?”

  “Oh yes, he is.” she looked over to the small office in the corner, “I’ll buzz him for you.”

  Alice heard the buzz, and then saw a head pop up in the glass window of the office. They knew it was Alfred, if only by the thick black moustache he had. He came out straightening his tie, and with a big, practiced smile specially reserved for his customers, he said, “Hi, I’m Al. How can I help you?”

  “Hi, Al. I’m Special Agent Campbell, this is Special Agent Burrows and this is Alice Timberlake, an associate of ours.” Campbell and Burrows showed their badges.

  Alice had her old badge in her hand, and rushed up to Alfred to shake his hand while he stood there bemused. Alice knew Joe had crossed over to Alfred, and now she could relax, having done her part.

  “What’s this all about?” he asked with a puzzled frown.

  “Can we go in your office?” Campbell pointed.

  “Sure, but I’ve done nothing wrong.” He looked at his secretary as if lost, and finding no help there, he led them into his office and offered them seats.

  Alice was the last one in and as she closed the door, she noticed the secretary picking up the phone. Is she calling his lawyer or his father or is she calling back whoever she was speaking to when we came in?

  “We’ll go straight to the point, Mr. Hassan. Your car was seen yesterday in Kansas picking up three Arabic gentlemen at Coal Mine Road.”

  The shock on his face was of bewilderment; it took him a moment to answer. “Yes, I made the pickup, but I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “You made the pickup… what do you mean by that?”

  “I run a cab service as well.” He held is hands out as if to say, Look around you, this is just the salesroom.

  “Are you telling us that someone called a cab to pick them up?” asked Burrows in a disbelieving tone.

  “This is not about me is it? It’s about the three guys I picked up, right?”

  Joe popped back into Alice’s mind. “I think this guy is innocent. He’s wondering who his passengers were and he’s afraid you lot think he’s a terrorist. He’s scared stiff.”

  “Right, so why don’t you tell us why they hired you?” Campbell crossed his legs and sat back.

  “Okay I will,” he started, shifting nervously in his seat, “I’ll tell you everything I know because I’ve got nothing to hide.” He took a deep breath. “I had a phone call a few days ago asking about my hire cars.”

  “Excuse me sir,” Burrows said with her note pad out, “you said a few days ago: could you be more precise, and were you given a name?”
>
  “It’s in my diary here.” He pushed it across his desk to her. “I really have nothing to hide,” he said again. “The man didn’t give a name but he said he was a Muslim Brother and he heard about me from a friend of his. He didn’t want to tell me who that friend was, and he didn’t want to give his name either.”

  Campbell picked the book up to check the day; it was all logged in neatly and boldly with the time of the call, and Mr. X for the name.

  “I see you called him Mr. X,” Campbell said.

  Alfred shrugged his shoulders as if to say, What else could I have called him?

  “Could we have your phone to see if we can trace the person who called you?” Campbell’s heart was starting to beat faster; he knew the one who phoned to book the car had to be part of the plot and was more than likely working with the terrorist group that would be looking after the two suspects.

  “He called the desk,” Alfred nodded to his secretary, “and my secretary put him through.”

  “You don’t mind us checking that out do you?”

  A slight shake of the head was the reply.

  “Did this Mr. X speak with a foreign accent or an American accent like you?”

  “Like me, he sounded American. I almost didn’t know he was Muslim.” His voice was starting to shake. “Am I in trouble?”

  “You’ve been very helpful so far,” Campbell said, evading the question, “please tell us more.”

  “He asked me if I had a car with blacked out windows, and a dividing window between the driver and the passengers. He said the passengers were VIPs and wanted their privacy. I told him I had a few cars like that, and that I use them for wedding and funerals, I told him I even had a limo stretch if he wanted it. He said no problem and that as long as the car was worthy of VIPs, it would do.” Alfred was starting to relax. “I asked where the pickup was and where I had to take them. He told me he’d get back to me with that.”

  Pointing to the book, Campbell asked, “I see in your book that Mr. X called you early yesterday morning.”

  “Yes, he said I had to be the driver. No one else but me. He said when I got there, that I was not to talk to the two VIPs, they would have a bodyguard and I was only allowed to talk to him if need be. The bodyguard would also pay me. Until I agreed to those terms, he wouldn’t tell me where to go. I agreed and he gave me the address of the pickup. I then told him the price and he agreed, saying there’d even be a bonus for me.”